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They just HAD to mention the officials.
Posted on Thu, Dec. 08, 2005
SPURS 98, HEAT 84
Failing to change history
Miami Herald
Miami dropped its third straight, thanks to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, who collectively scored 69 points.
BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ
[email protected]
SAN ANTONIO - The date was Dec. 23, 1996.
No, that's not the last time Shaquille O'Neal played for the Heat. It only feels like that long.
It was the last time the Heat won a game in San Antonio. And without O'Neal this time around, the team had almost no chance to win Wednesday.
With Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and the officials all doing their part to frustrate the Heat, the team lost its third straight, 98-84 to the Spurs, dropping Miami to 2-3 on its first extended road trip of the season.
Parker knifed through the Heat defense seemingly at will on his way to 14 points and 11 assists, and Duncan had a typical Duncan game, finishing with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Ginobili added 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
''We've got a long way to go with our game to get to this level,'' Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said.
Dwyane Wade put together a strong game despite being annoyed with officials throughout the contest, scoring 31 points with 10 assists and six rebounds. He had little help on the offensive end, however.
Antoine Walker missed his first four shots of the game, making it 14 consecutive shots he missed after hitting a running hook shot at the end of the Heat loss to Denver that temporarily gave his team the lead.
Walker changed his approach offensively, though, aggressively attacking the basket throughout the game rather than taking a handful of three-pointers. But even his shots near the rim were constantly fluttering in and out, as he finished 3 of 15 from the field for 10 points in 26 minutes.
Walker made his first basket at the 9:19 mark of the second quarter, breaking his string of misses and giving the Heat its only lead of the game, 20-19. Walker wasn't getting the benefit of many calls despite his aggressive style, aggravating the forward. He certainly wasn't alone in his frustration.
Wade, who had a powerful dunk in the first quarter over an outstretched Duncan, spent much of his time pleading with officials. With no help from the referees, the Heat shot just 30.3 percent in a first half that featured a 22-5 Spurs run, turning a tie score into a 47-30 San Antonio lead at halftime.
The frustration with the officiating spilled into the second half. After Wade grabbed a rebound and began dribbling out with two Spurs around him, he stumbled and eventually committed a turnover.
Parker recovered the loose ball and went to the rim for a layup, where Michael Doleac sent him to the floor with a hard foul that was ruled a Level 2 flagrant foul, which meant an automatic ejection. Parker hit his two free throws, extending the Spurs' lead to 59-43.
The Heat narrowed the Spurs lead to seven points, 90-83, with 1:52 left in the game but could get no closer, giving the Heat its first three-game losing streak of the season.
Jason Williams was noticeably limping throughout and, for the second time in three games, couldn't finish the game with tendinitis in his right knee.
For the first time this season, Alonzo Mourning did not have a blocked shot, which Van Gundy said is all part of playing against the defending champs.
''It comes down to exceptional players,'' Van Gundy said. ``Ginobili is an exceptional finisher, one of the best in the game. And Duncan, obviously, is going to go over the top. It's a different world in here. It's a different world playing the Spurs.''
They just HAD to mention the officials.
ing weak.
Did they see Parker get clobbed over and over again or Rasho screwed on a block attempt.
Last year if I recall the Spurs without Tim almost beat Miami in Miami.
Heat have some holes that I am not sure even Shaq can fix.
damn I lost 1200 Vbookie cause Wade scored too much.. bas ..
the Spurs have just as much room to about the officiating as the Heat do. Nazr was raped a few times without a call.
didn't Wade get to the line 15 plus times..... he got his calls...
The refs frustrated who? Everytime the Spurs were pulling away the Heat got sent to the line again and again, which brought them back into the game. How about that Posey stiff arm to Parker?
Duncan was called for a foul as Wade falling because of air pressure...Miami Herald sucks!
Exactly. He got his calls and then some. It was ridiculous how many times he got to the line on questionable fouls. He was even awarded a phantom call on Duncan way out on the perimiter where Duncan never even touched him.
And then there was Parker getting punched in the face on a break by Posey with no call. The officiating was pretty horrid all around last night.
28 and 16 and is always described as "typical"...
Timmy is GREAT!
i hate to mention the officiating because in the end .......it makes no difference (unless we're talking bout benny hill salvatore and the spurs) but 17 attempts is ridiculous considering gino and parker live in the lane and they don't get those many attempts combined.....hmmmm and that call on duncan.....dam cold front......hopefully "they ain't no sudden air pressure changes come june"
Don't forget the "foul" on Bowen, when Wade landed on his foot. What about all the times Tim rolled his ankle b/c he fell on someone's foot? Foul called there? Errr no way
The officiating all around last night was terribly inconsistent. From the start it looked like they were just going to let them play, and then suddenly Duncan got two quick fouls, and then in the second and third it seemed like the Spurs were getting away with a fair amount of stuff that had been called earlier but the Heat weren't getting any love. And then down the stretch the refs realized that it was a nationally televised game and they needed to get it a little closer for the sake of drama. That was just my impression of the game. 4 quarters of inconsistent calls.
People way too much about the officiating.
ing about refs will never end, unless they replace human refs with robots, that record and are able to analyze the data quick enough to decide if a foul or any breaking of the rules is occuring. Since that won't be happening any time soon, better get use to what we have now.
"Last year if I recall the Spurs without Tim almost beat Miami in Miami."
It was a "statement" game. Spurs were top of the West, Heat were hyped as best of the East. No injuries. Spurs had earlier destroyed the Heat @SBC.
@MIA, Tim played, got 20 pts, but the Spurs got destroyed and outscored in the paint, outshot, and outrebounded, Dwayne made big shots in crunch time:
http://www.nba.com/games/20050213/SASMIA/boxscore.html
Excellent paint defense by the Heat made Spurs shoot jumpers, and Spurs shot 39%.
Heat are a lot weaker this year.
losing 96-92 is now considered being destroyed????.
waaaaaaaaaayyyyy cooooolll sig
words of respect!!
'Mention' the officials - the whole damn article is whining about the officials!
It is a Miami paper, what do you expect?
Jealousy is a .
Jeff was quoted saying Pop is the best coach in NBA a few days ago, now Stan expresses awe towards the Spurs.
I wonder what their father/coach thinks about Spurs-ovich?
They could found the "The Van Gundy Family Spurs Appreciation Society".
Last edited by boutons; 12-08-2005 at 03:31 PM.
Just imagine a seven game series called like that...
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